This work gives a compelling account of the officer who waged the intelligence battle against Napoleon's army, a forerunner to the great code-breakers of the 20th century. The French army, during the Peninsular War, used a code of unrivalled complexity - the "Great Paris Cipher". Major George Scovell used a network of Spanish guerillas to capture coded French messages, and then set to work decrypting them.
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
A compelling account of the officer who waged the intelligence battle against Napoleon's army: a forerunner to the great code-breakers of the 20th century. In 1812, with two great armies manoeuvering across the Spanish plains, each struggles to gain an advantage. Wellington was aware that he might turn the tide of the war if he defeated the French. Good intelligence was the key, but the impenetrable code used by the French, the "Great Paris Cipher" seemed indecipherable. One man, Major George Scovell, was given the impossible task. This remarkable man of low birth who struggled for advancement in the ranks of better-connected officers was the perfect subject for a fascinating, multi-faceted study.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Satisfying blend of Peninsular War/waterloo history and code breaking,
This review is from: Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes (Paperback)
New insight into the Peninsular war with Mark Urban's book. This is very much about the code breaking and spying which was part of the intelligence gathering of Wellington's army and how it became an 'industry' in itself.
This is all pre-Playfair and his more complex codes which started about a decade later (Simon Singh;s book "The Code book" is an excellent parallel read to this) and so the simpler codes, what they were and how they were broken are covered = and how it developed and with it the role of one man, George Scovell. I found this readable, but not a page turner, my interest in the Peninsular war kept me going. I felt that Urban got bogged down, especially at the beginning with setting the scene of the Peninsular War and its earlier battles. I didn't find the level of detail relevant to the story although for those not clear on the Peninsular war and its progress the detail might prove more interesting. What I really enjoyed was Urban's sharp incisive analysis of the development of the intelligence gathering and how Scovell's role as a professional in the task came about. Urban's knowledge of processes and functioning of the army and most particularly Wellington's operations and officers provides a level of background which makes this book readable by anyone interest in early codes as well as military history. I really enjoyed this but I felt that it needed a bit more editing at the start. Still it flowed well, Urban is an excellent writer, and it is a fascinating read. Overall it is a Highly recommended history A Woodley
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
